Meta

Month: February 2017

Sunday mornings used to be about hangovers, lie ins, even home DIY, shopping, cleaning, washing and cooking, but these days they are predominantly about how hard I can train!

I started the morning with Protein Pancakes which are so easy to make- just mix 30g of protein pow cooking whey with a banana and two eggs in a nutribullet and fry in coconut oil. AMAZING!

Breakfast done, I was off to Team Training!

This mornings class involved a warm up with Michelle, and then working in pairs and doing sets of 18, 15 and then 12 of two exercises off the board below while your partner held the third position. There were three exercise stations and it was a killer – especially the box overs and burpees which we did last!

After an hour of that it was time for a kickboxing class! This class combines cardio and boxing routines to both improve fitness and ability. It’s really hard- especially if you’ve never done anything like it before, but it really pushes you to the limit and challenges you like nothing else! It is hard doing it after team training but it goes to show that when you think you’ve got nothing left you can find it somewhere if you dig deep.

Both classes were all female, and the atmosphere is fun, encouraging and supportive. No one judges each other, and they genuinely want them to do well.

Being asthmatic, this kind of exercise is really hard and getting out of breath is scary and stressful but I am learning to control my breathing now rather than panic, and as my fitness improves so does my asthma. This week I survived two hours of intense training without having to use my inhaler, which really goes to show what progress I am making.

It’s a massive sense of achievement to get through a Sunday morning like that, and I am now recovering by sitting in the hairdressers for the afternoon being pampered- it’s all about balance after all!

At the end of December 2016 I decided to overhaul my diet and fitness. Although I trained on and off last year I wasn’t really focussed and when you’re not on it, you don’t get anywhere.

From 1st January this year I committed to train a minimum of twice a week at OnPoint in Hertford (HITT and strength training at 6.30am!) and once a week with my friend for an hour focussing on my areas of weakness, e.g. Squat depth!

I also decided to cut the rubbish food out of my diet, with an alcohol free January.

Achieving the exercise goals has been easier than the food. I have to stay 100% prepared and focussed, because as soon as I’m away from home (usually a couple of nights a week) and healthy options are limited, I give in and end up eating unhealthily and throwing in a glass of wine too. It’s so easy to tell yourself that it’s justifiable because you’re tired, haven’t eaten all day, deserve a treat- and while that all might be true, and life might be too short, giving into those excuses is not going to help me achieve my goals!

Some weeks I manage to get in 5 sessions including women’s kick boxing which has been completely new, and really challenging but every session is different, tough, and fun, and that’s what makes me actually look forward to getting up at 5.30am to drive to the gym when it’s pitch black and minus four degrees.

In six weeks I’ve lost a stone, which sounds impressive but there’s still so far to go- but this time the number on the scales isn’t the only end goal.

My goal is to be a healthy weight for my height, but it’s also to be able to squat deeper, deadlift heavier, plank longer, run further, sprint faster, do pull ups… the list goes on. It’s also about loving the body I have, and having the best body I can, and appreciating what it can do!

This year I have signed up to two things I wouldn’t have even considered before… a fitness retreat in Ibiza in September and a 10k obstacle race in April. Eek 😬

The point of this blog is to track my progress and share positive experiences as well as frustrations and setbacks. It won’t be easy, but it will be an adventure!